Machine for setting up collapsed carrier cartons



Dec. 25, 1 D. H. CHARLES ETAL MACHINE FOR SETTING UP COLLAPSED CARRIER CARTONS Filed April 10,

6 Sheets-Sheet l NR H: M S C Y R S 0 UA Q MBH R E Y w H m H R DIDE O LW AA ma 8 FIG. I

Dec. 25, 1962 CHARLES ETAL 3,069,979

MACHINE FOR SETTING UP COLLAPSED CARRIER CARTONS Filed April 10, 1961 6 Sh 2O eets Sheet 2 INVENTORS. RALPH R BUSCH DAVID H. CHARLES WESLEY R. BENJATVI IN WALTE D GRIG'SBY JR BY @4311,

A ORNEY 1962 n. H. CHARLES ETAL 3,069,979

MACHINE FOR SETTING UP COLLAPSED CARRIER CARTONS Filed April 10, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. IO

INVENTORS.

RALPH R. BUSCH DAVID H. CHARLES WESLEY R. BENJAMIN Dec. 25, 1962 D. H. CHARLES ETAL 3,069,979

I MACHINE FOR SETTING UP COLLAPSED CARRIER CARTONS Filed April 10, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS.

RALPH R. BUSCH AVID H. CHARLES R. BENJAMIN AT ORNEY WALTER D. GRIGSBY, JR. BY

25, 1952 D. H. CHARLES ETAL 3,

MACHINE FOR SETTING UP COLLAPSED CARRIER CARTONS Filed April 10, 1961 .\\\\YIVII \\\I\III 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS.

RALPH R. BUSG- MI AT ORNE United States Patent Ofifice 3,069,979 Patented Dec. 25, 1962 3,069,979 MACmE FOR SETTING UP COLLAPSE!) CARRIER CARTONS David H. Charles, Wesley R. Benjamin, Walter D. Giigsby, Jr., and Ralph E. Busch, Portland, Greg, assignors to Grigsby Bros. Paper Box Manufacturers, Portland, reg., a corporation of Oregon Fiied Apr. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 101,713 7 Claims. (Cl. 93-37) This invention relates to mechanical means for the setting up of a foldable collapsed carton preparatory to use.

More specifically, this invention relates to a machine by which folded integral carrier cartons, of a certain type, can be quickly set up and placed in condition for immediate use without the necessity of having such carrier cartons manually and separately set up.

The invention relates in particular to a carrier carton of special form and construction, made from a single scored blank of such material as cardboard, designed to serve as a carrier for a pair of bottles or other filled containers of the size for which the carrier carton is intended. The special carrier carton with which this in vention is especially concerned is described in detail in the pending application Serial No. 38,886, filed June 27, 1960, entitled Carrier for Bottles and the Like, now abandoned, but this carrier carton will also be described herein very briefly.

This carrier carton is manufactured in fiat folded condition for convenience in shipping or storing and, when a considerable number of these carrier cartons are required for use in an assembly line, so that the filled bottles or other filled containers for which they are designed may be placed in them, the unfolding and setting up of the cartons require considerable time and labor when this is done manually as heretofore. The object in the present invention is to provide a suitable practical machine for performing this work.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine which will operate continuously and rapidly for unfolding and setting up this particular type of carrier carton as long as the folded cartons are being fed to the machine.

An additional object is to provide such a machine which will be practical from the operation standpoint and not require an excessive amount of skilled supervision or maintenance.

The manner in which, and the means by which, the machine of the present invention functions and accomplishes the objects above indicated will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cut and scored blank from which the special carrier carton is formed, showing the cut and scored blank before the opposite lateral edges are secured together to complete the carton;

FIG. 2 shows the carton in the flat folded condition in which the carton is shipped or stored prior to use;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D show the carton in different stages in the process of being set up, illustrating the work required to be done by the machine of the present invention;

FIG. 3E, for further purposes of illustration, shows the carton right side up and ready for use;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the machine;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the machine taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on line 6-6 of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section on line 7-7 of FIG. 4 and line 7-7 of FIG. 11, drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section on line :8-8 of FIGS. 4 and 11, drawn to the same scale as FIG. '7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section on line 9-9 of FIG. 4, drawn to the same scale as FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section on the line indicated at 10-10 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional elevation on line 11-11 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary section on line 12-12 of FIG. 4, drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary section on line 13-13 of FIG. 4, drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary section on line 14-14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary section on line 15-15 of FIGS. 4, 5 and 18;

FIG. 16 is a similar fragmentary section on line 16-16 of FIGS. 4, 5 and 18;

FIG. 17 is a similar fragmentary section on line 17-17 of FIGS. 4, 5 and 18;

'FIG. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of the crosshead assembly operating to fold down the side end extensions of the carton;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary section on line 19-19 of FIGS. 4 and 5; and

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary section on line 20-20 of P568. 4 and 19.

Referring first to the cut and scored blank of FIG. 1, from which the carrier carton is made, the portions 10 and 11 form the main side walls of the carton and the portions 12 and 13 form the end side walls. The carton, when entirely set up, has two compartments. The flaps 10A and 10B and 11A and 11B, connected with the main side walls, form part of the composite bottoms of the two compartments, and the portions 12C and 13C form the outside bottom walls of the composite bottoms of these two compartments. The extended integral portions 12D and 13D together form the center partition separating the two compartments and also combine to form the handle or double carrying strap for the carrier carton. A pair of ears 15 are formed on one main side wall, and, in the final setting up of the carton, these ears are bent inwardly to aid in keeping the double carrying strap in place.

The cut and scored blank of FIG. 1 is first folded over on itself and the marginal tab 14 is secured to the marginal edge of the end side wall 13 by gluing or stapling. The carton, then being in the folded position shown in FIG. 2, is kept in this compact position until it is to be set up for use. In the setting up of the carton from the folded compact position of FIG. 2 to the position illustrated in FIGS. 3D and 3E, the carton passes through the stages illustrated by FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C. Such setting up of the carton and the moving of the carton along through these diiferent stages are performed automati cally and quickly by the machine as now to be described.

The machine frame is provided with an inclined chute 16 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) having a pair of bottom rails 17 and side guides 18, and a supply of the carton in the folded position of FIG. 2, are deposited on the chute as indicated by the reference C. A carriage 19, mounted on the rails 17, supports a vertical front wall 20 together with upwardly-extending bars 21, and these bear against the folded cartons in order to keep them urged downwardly in the chute 16. An inverted U-shaped frame 22, mounted on the side guides 18 of the chute 16, extends over the cartons and carries a pair of flat spring members 23 for engaging the topmost edges of the cartons as they move down the chute, and a central spring member 23', for engaging the top edge of a flap of the cartons to aid in keeping the cartons vertical in the chute and momenaoeaava tarily to restrain the bottom-most carton in the chute until the carton is opened up and pulled from the chute as presently described. The lower ends of the side guides 18 are turned inwardly for a slight distance, as shown at 18 in FIG. 4, also for the purpose of temporarily restraining each folded vertical carton as it reaches the 'end of the chute. The folded cartons C are placed in the "chute16 with the slotted edge of the, main side Wall 1.0 of each carton facing the bottom of the chute. As each carton leaves the chute it is moved onto a horizontal plate 24 (FIG. 4).

A'thrus'ter lever 25 (FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 9), ha form of a bell crank, is pivotally mounted on an arm secured to the machine frame (as shown best in FIG. 7) so'as to swing up through an opening provided in the horizontal plate 24. A link 26 connects the thruster lever with a push rod 27 which slides up and down through .a fixed tubular guideway 23. The lower end of the rod 27 carries a cam follower in the form of a roller which is in engagement with the periphery of a cam 29 mounted on a rotating shaft 3% which is driven by suitable connection with the machine motor M (FIG. 4'). The cam follower on the rod 27 is maintained in contact with the cam 29 by means of a spring 31, shown in FIG. 9.

The thruster lever 25 is so located (see FIGS. 9 and that it will pass through the slot in the bottom of the main side wall 10 of the innermost carton, where the cars (FIGS. 1 and 9) are located, and press against the bottom "or the otherrnain side wall 11 of the carton. When this occurs the carton wall llis forced back a short distance, causing 'a'slight separation of the carton walls 14 and 11. The purpose of this is to allow an opening blade 32 to be insertedbetween the bottom edges of the carton walls It? and 11.

The carton opening blade 32, shaped as shown best in FIG. 9, is secured on the upper end of a rod33 slidably and rotatably supported in a tubularguideway 34, secured on the machine frame. The bottom of the rod 33 bears against a cam 35 (FIG. 8) secured on the driven shaft 35}. A spring 36 holds the rod 33 against the cam 35. The rod 33 carries a pin 37 (FIG. 8) which moves in a curved slot 38 in the tubular guideway 34. The arrangement is such that, as the cam 35 moves counter-clockwise (referring to FIG. '8), the rod 33, and with it the blade 32, will bethrust upwardly and at the same time will be causedto turn 90 in clockwise direction'asindicatedin FIG. 10. This causes the carton to be opened out in the hianner shown by the broken lines in FIG. 10. The thruster lever 25 and the opening blade 32 then return to their original starting positions and allow the open cartonto be moved from right to left (as viewed in'FIG. 10). A guide bar 39 '(FIG. 4) prevents any inadvertent :niovin'g of the open carton in the opposite direction. The opening ofithe'carton'also causesit to become disengaged from the ends 13 of the side'guides 13 of the 'chute16. 'Wlien'a carton is openedup in the manner above described and freed from thechute 16, a pusher arm 40 (FIGS. 4, 5, 11 and 12) thrusts the'open carton along thefplate 24 until the end side wall 12 of the carton reaches a pair of side rails 42, the upper one of which is shownin FIG. 4, whereupon the open carton will now be in the form illustrated in FIG. 3A.

. Thepusher'arm 401's supported'on a carriage 43 (FIGS. 11 and 12) having'upper and lower pairs of wheels which roll in upper and lower grooved tracks 44 and 45. An endless sprocket chain 46, passing around a driven sprocket 47 and an end idler sprocket 48 (FIGS. 4, 11 and 12), carries a lug 49 (FIG. 12) adapted to engage a hinged arm 50 on the'carriagc 43 The'hinged'arm 50 is normally held down in horizontal position by a spring, as indicated in FIG. 12, so asto be engaged by the moving flug 49. However, when the hinged arm 5%) reaches a stationary cam plate 51 (FIG. 11) the arm is momentarily raised, permitting the chain lug 49'to move" past the arm 50. A,cord,,52, attached to the carriage 43, passes over a pulley 53 and carries a weight W at its Other end. When the arm 50 is raised by the cam 51 so as to be disengaged from the chain lug 49, the cord 52 and weight W immediately return the carriage 43 and pusher arm 46 back to starting position, in preparation for the opening up of the next carton from the chute 16.

When the carton is pushed by the pusher arm i t over against the side rails 42 (FIG. 4) it is deposited in front of a pusher plate 54 supported on a carriage 55. This carriage 55 is not shown separately in the figures irias much as it is similar to the carriage 43 previously described and is similarly mounted on a pair of rails and similarly operated by means of a hinged arm engaginga lug on an endless driven sprocket chain, the arm being released from engagement with the chain lug upon reaching a cam plate, and the carriage being returned to starting position by an attached cord and weight W2, the same as in the case of the carriage ea. As apparent from FIG. 4, the carriage 55 and pusher plate 54 act to move the open carton in a direction at right angles with respect to the direction the cartonhas'previously been moved by the first pusher arm '40.

The carriage 55 and pusher plate 54 now move the carton a distance slightly more than. the width of the carton andthen return to starting :position' in preparation for receiving the next carton. When the next carton 'is' received in front of the carriage S5 an dfsirnilarly is en-- gaged by the pusher plate 54 the second carton pushes the first carton "along further, the cartons sliding on a pair of tracks 41 (FIG. 4). H

A blade 57 (FIGS. 4, l1, and 13) is mountedon the top edge of the pusher plate 54. 'An 'arm '58, rigidly secured to the hinged plate 57, in the position shown in FIG. 13, carries a roller which acts as a cam follower along the top edge of a vertical cam plate 59. A spring 58 holds the roller of the arm 53in contact with the cam edge. As a result, when the carriage moves from right to left, as viewed in FIG. 13, the hinged blade 57 is swung down into the broken line-position shown in this figure. In swinging downwardly the blade 57 engages the pair of flaps 11A and 11B of the open carton and bends them down in the carton. I 7

An inverted U-shaped 'frame 60 (FIGS. '4, 5, 11 and 13), rigidly mounted on the main frame of the machine, in the location shown in FIG. 4, extends up over the path or the'cartons as they are pushed along on the tracks 41. A center bracket 61, secured at the top to the frame '60 and extending downwardly fromthe center of the frame, has its lower end forked (FIGS. 13 and 14) to sup 'port a-pair of parallel fiap bending runners 62. The front ends of these runners are sloped upwardly, as shown in FIG. 13, and these runners engage the flaps 10A and 10B of each advancing'carton and bend these flaps down over theha'ps 11A and 113 respectively which have already been'b'ent down by thehinged'blad e 5 7'as previ- 'ously explained. The runners 62 then continue temporarily to hold the pairs'of'fiaps downin horizontal position as the carton is pushed along in its travel through the final stages in thesetting-up operation.

A pair ofupper side guides 63 are adjustably supported 'on opposite s'ides'of the frame 60 and are so arranged as to engage the outer faces of .the extending side 'end portions 12D and 13D (FIG. 3B) of each advancing carton andto start bending them inwardly towards each other, as indicated in FIG. 11. V

A cross arm on the center bracket 61 supports a curved guide rail 65 (FIG. 4) which engages the inner faces of the extending side end portions 12D and 13D of each advancing carton (as indicated in FIG. 11) and acts, in cooperation with the upper side guide 63, to start bending the'upperends of the carton portions 12D and 13D"inwardly.

A crosshead assembly, indicated in general by the reference 66 (FIGS. 4, 5, and 18), located beyond the frame 69 above the path of the cartons, is supported at each side of the path of the cartons on a pair of vertical reciprocating rods, one of which is shown at 67 in FIG. 5. These rods 67 are slidable up and down in stationary sleeve bearings mounted on the main frame of the machine. They are connected at their bottom ends by a cross bar (not shown) and a roller mounted below the center of this cross bar rides on a rotating cam 68 (FIG. 5). The cam 68 is secured on the shaft 6% which is driven continuously by suitable connection (not shown) with the machine motor M.

The crosshead assembly 66 includes a pair of branch arms 70 (FIGS. 4, 5, l5 and 18) which support a pair of downwardly curved plates 71. These plates 71 extend down over the outside faces of vertical stationary plates 71' (FIG. and move up and down over the plates 71'. The plates 71 engage the extending side end portions 12D and 13D of each carton ag it is moved into position beneath the plates '71 and bend these portions 121) and 13D inwardly and downwardly upon the downward movement of the crosshead assembly 66. The carton will then be in the stage illustrated in FIG. 3C.

A curved plate 72 (FIGS. 5, 16 and 18), Positioned at a lower level than the tops of the plates 7 it and supported on a bracket 73 extending downwardly from the center of the crosshead assembly 66, is spaced the width of the carton beyond the curved plates '71. When the crosshead assembly 66 returns to raised position the carton, which has been engaged by the plates 71, is pushed ahead by the other cartons behind it until it is in the next position beneath the plate 72. Then the lowering of the crosshead assembly causes this lower curved plate 72 to push the bent over portions 12D and 13D of the carton down still further, as indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 16.

A bracket '75, extending down from a branch arm 74 (FIGS. 5, 17 and 18) of the crosshead assembly 66, supports the horizontal cross plate 76 which is located beyond the plate 72 and mounted at a still lower level. After the carton has been engaged by the plate 72 and the crosshead assembly 66 has again been raised, the pushing of the carton ahead another carton width brings it beneath the plate 76. Thereupon the lowering of the crosshead assembly completes the thrusting of the portions 12D and 13D down into final position, as indicated in H6. 17.

Upon the next move of the carton, as it is pushed forward another width, it moves through a frame 77 (FIGS. 4, 5, 19 and which frame supports a center pressing roller 78. This roller 78 bears down on the folded-down portions to aid in completing the forming of the composite bottoms of the two compartments of the carton, the carton now being in the form illustrated in FIG. 3D. The carton also slides along a pair of horizontal plates 79 (FIGS. 4, 17, 19 and 20), supported by and extending inwardly from the tracks 41. The curved edges 80 (FIG. 4) of these plates 79 engage the carton portions 12D and 13D and cause them to be brought against each other for the completion of the carton. As this takes place a pair of hinged, spring-controlled arms 81, one of which is shown in FlG. 20, positioned in cut-away portions of the opposed edges of the plates 79, press up against the cars 15 of the moving carton (see also FIGS. 1 and 3E) on the main side wall It of the carton so as to bend these inwardly on opposite sides of the double partition wall and carrying strap formed by the portions 12D and 13D. This completes the setting up of the carton, which is now pushed from the machine and may be dropped into a collecting receptacle or onto a conveyor (not shown), and the completed carton, upon being turned right side up, appears as shown in FIG. 3E.

We claim:

1. In a machine for setting up a collapsed carton having a slot in the edge of one main side wall, a thruster lever so positioned as to pass through the slotted edge of the carton to separate the edges of the main side walls of the carton, a carton opening blade for entering between the separated edges of the main side walls of the carton and opening up the carton, a pusher arm for engaging the side of the opened carton and moving the carton laterally, a pusher plate engaging the moved carton and moving it in a direction normal to the direction of movement of said pusher arm, means for intermittently operating said thruster lever, opening blade, pusher arm and pusher plate in succession, a hinged blade on said pusher plate, and means for swinging said blade downwardly forwardly as said plate engages the carton for folding down a pair of flaps of the carton.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 with the addition of fiapbending runners for engaging and bending down a second pair of flaps of the carton as the carton and hinged blade move towards said runners, and guide rails for bending side end extensions of the carton inwardly.

3. In a machine for setting up a collapsed carton of the character described having a slot in the edge of one main side wall, a thruster lever so positioned as to pass rough the slotted edge of the carton to separate the edges of the main side walls of the carton, a carton opening blade for entering between the separated edges of the main side walls of the carton and opening up the carton, a pusher arm for engaging the side of the opened carton and moving the carton laterally, a pusher plate engaging the moved carton and moving it in a direction normal to the direction of movement of said pusher arm, means for intermittently operating said thruster lever, opening blade, pusher arm and pusher plate in succession, means for bending down one pair of flaps on the carton, cooperating means for bending down the second pair of flaps on the carton, guide rails for bending the side end extensions of the carton inwardly, a crosshead assembly having elements for bending and thrusting the side end extensions downwardly to form the double partition wall and carrying strap of the carton, and means for moving said crosshead assembly down on the carton as the carton is pushed into position between said last mentioned elements.

4. In a machine for setting up a collapsed carton of the character described having slots providing a pair of ears in the edge of one main side wall, a thruster lever so positioned as to pass through the slotted edge of the carton to separate the edges of the main side walls of the carton, means for operating said thruster lever, a carton opening blade for entering between the separated edges of the main side walls of the carton and opening up the carton, means for moving said blade upwardly between the separated edges of the carton, related means for partially rotating said blade as said blade moves upwardly causing said carton to be opened out, a pusher arm for engaging the side of the opened carton and moving the carton laterally, an intermittently-operated pusher plate engaging the moved carton and moving it in a direction normal to the direction of movement of said pusher arm, a hinged blade on said pusher plate, means for swinging said blade downwardly forwardly as said plate engages the carton for folding down a pair of flaps of the carton, flap-bending runners for engaging and bending down the second pair of flaps as the carton and hinged blade move towards said runners, guide rails for bending the side end extensions of the carton inwardly, a crosshead assembly having a series of elements for bending and thrusting the side end extensions downwardly to form the double partition wall and carrying strap of the carton, and means for reciprocating said crosshead assembly intermittently in and up and down direction as a carton is pushed into positions between said last mentioned series of elements.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 with the addition of means for bending the pair of ears on one main side wall o'f'thecarton over the formed double partition 'wall and carrying strap.

6. -In:-a machine for setting up a collapsed carton of the character described, means for separating the main side walls of the carton for opening up the carton, a hinged :blade mounted to swing down on said carton to fold down a pair of flaps of said carton, means for moving the opened carton into position beneath said hinged blade, and means for swinging said blade downwardly on said pair of flaps.

7. 'In a machine for'setting up a collapsed carton of the character described, means for separating the main side walls of the carton for opening up the carton, a hinged blade mounted to swing down on said carton to fold down a pair of flaps of said carton, a pusher for moving "the opened carton into position beneath said hinged blade, at second pusher moving in a direction normal to the direction of movement of said first pusher, said hinged blade mounted on said second pusher, means for moving said second pusher, and cooperating means for swinging said hinged blade downwardly and in the direction of movement of said second pusher during the forward stroke of said second pusher.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

